reporter: after all, it was theater that first made him a star in the u.s. he played the emcee in cabaret in 1998. >> it was an amazing thing for me. it completely changed my life. >> reporter: we sat down in the same building where he performed in cabaret. in the late '70s, it was the notorious club studio 54. it had since become a theater. cabaret became a nation-wide sensation. cumming won a tony award. >> i thought it was amazing. i would go to somewhere in the middle of america -- this is before i had done films that they knew -- i would go into the cafe and they would say you're the cabaret guy. did you see the show? no. >> reporter: alan cumming was raised far from the big city lights. tell me about growing up in scottland. in those smallish town. >> it wasn't a town. i grew up on a country estate. >> reporter: country estate may sound like the setting for an idyllic scottish childhood. it wasn't. >> well, i have so few memories of my child heidt. it's really weird. that's because i didn't want to make the memories because they were so painful. >> rep